But, to me, what makes Peter most interesting is his hobbies. He always has one. They always involve making something by hand.

People who work with their mind, rest with their hands. For me, that usually means woodworking.

Also, I bet you that a lot of readers here can identify with what writer-turned-knifemaker, Joel Bukiewicz, said in his profile interview found in yesterday’s aforelinked Made by Hand video:

I had this period of fear that I was going to lose writing. I had this thing that I just really loved and I was afraid I was going to lose it forever. I decided to take a 3-month hiatus from it — just stop altogether. And when I stopped, I found that I’d developed this need to make these sort of creative offerings on a daily basis. To basically make things.

When I recognized this need, I started making stuff. A set of bookshelves. A set of canoe paddles for my dad. Jewelry, tables, various things. Whenever there was an occasion I would just go: Oh, I’ll make something for that. Or: Oh, I’ll fix this at the house. And that was kind of filling that need for me.